With a Whisper
by Madeline Khill
Summary: a series of One-shots, reveal!fic. Merlin's secret is revealed not with a bang but with a whisper, on a normal day. Or as normal as any day is when you are a warlock living in Camelot. No Slash
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything

Merlin always thought that if his magic was going to be revealed it would be explosive. He would be protecting Arthur, and in a flurry of awesome power he would know. But it happened on the most normal of days, not with a bang, but with a whisper.

Merlin ran down the steps towards the prat of a king's room, passing more doors than would ever be needed. He walked into the dark room, and opened the large drapes, "Rise and shine, Sire." The lump currently asleep in the bed groaned, turning over. "Let's have you lazy-daisy." He responded in his royal highnesses least favorite morning call.

"Merlin, can't you find something remotely enjoyable to say, to wake me up." The tousled blond hair rose off the lumpy pillows. Merlin smiled happily drawing back the changing partition, and passing the king his clothes for the day. "I swear you are the most useless servant in the entire Albion, pass me my breaches before my sword would you." Merlin passed over the breaches before finishing filling the dollup-head's bath.

"Well at least I am not a Prat." He ran laughing from the room as Arthur threw the nearest goblet at his head, spilling mead everywhere.

Well it wasn't the safest of days, but considering it was Camelot, an attack from a jealous witch was "normal", especially as they were in the middle of a war. Merlin was serving Arthur breakfast when in a swirling of smoke and fire, Morgana appeared in the throne room, her black gowns taking up a lot of space, making her appear larger than she actually was. All the pretty much useless councilors gasped and a couple appeared to be trying to dive under the large table. Guinevere gasped in shock, never letting her queenly mask slip from her face.

Morgana snickered at their pathetic attempt to escape; she threw her arm at the table, as her eyes flashed gold she yelled," _**forb**__**æ**__**rne**__". _The table exploded into a harsh fire, as the councilors ran as far as they possible could. "Who would like to challenge me, the powerful seer Morgana Pendragon, High Priestess of the Triple Goddess, and rightful queen of Camelot?" She smirked in assurance of her claims, certain that none could beat her.

A clamor of voices rose in absolute abhorrence of Morgana and her ways, in panic, and in fear of the death of them all. Then a cleansing wind tore through the throne room, pushing all of people to the ground. Arthur stood as if to accept the challenge, but paused at Merlin stepped forward, his idiot friend. "I will fight you," a soft whisper, as quiet as Morgana was loud. Merlin stood his usually clothing making him appear small and insignificant, not accentuating any of his great power.

Morgana choked out a laugh, and boomed out, "How fitting Arthur's pet guard dog, trying to finish the job he started." Her voice bordered on sarcastic, "Always there, behind your master foiling the best laid plans of me, and my sister. Always showing up with the knowledge of how to kill undead armies, who are you Merlin? And what has my brother done to deserve the loyalty you give him?"

Merlin looked at Arthur in panic; the other man's face the picture of confusion. He walked towards Morgana in a confident manner, belaying any doubt that the manservant that he was before was falling away, "I am Emrys, protector of the Once and Future king, and I, Morgana Pendragon, am your doom." Morgana's face fell and fear crept into her eyes as Merlin finished his statement. He stood with a confidence that was the opposite of Morgana's loud claims.

"You cannot be, I would have known." Morgana cried, then remembering her previous encounters with the famed magician said, "You cannot be Emrys, because I have looked upon his face."

Arthur stood up and asked the question that was plaguing his thoughts, "Who is this, Once and Future King, and who is this Emrys that Merlin claims to be?"

"You, Arthur are the Once and Future king, and it is a crime against destiny that Morgana try to usurp the thrown that will be yours now and forever. Emrys is the most powerful sorcerer ever to be born, and was born for the only purpose of protecting you. If you don't believe me, why don't you try to stop me Morgana?" He stepped back and put up his hand in a defensive manner.

She screamed in rage and threw a burst of energy at Merlin, who rolled out of the way just in time. Arthur rolled his eyes at his useless servant. Merlin stood from the rolled and threw out with his hand, saying, "_**Llosgwch**____**tân**____**sanctaidd**__**, **__**nid**____**diflannu**__**.**_" And a pillar of flame flew towards Morgana.

She tried dissipate the fire, but it just kept coming, bending her will to making it dissapear she yelled out, "_**Tân**____**yn**____**mynd**_," and the fire was gone.

Then Merlin whispered, "_**Cymerwch y fenyw nepell o'r fan hon,**_

_**gadael ei gwarchod yn lle ofn.**_

_**Gwneud iddi gyda cofleidio galon,**_

_**y ceidwad yn lle sanctaidd**_,"

and Morgana dissapeared from their sight. Merlin looked up and whispered to Arthur, "I am sorry," then fainted.

When he awoke he was surprised to see Arthur sitting by his bedside, with a worried expression on his face. Merlin groaned at the pain that he felt from the fight, his injuries not yet completely healed. The king's face lit up at the sight of the healing warlock. "You idiot," he exclaimed to the man in the bed, "You could have been killed. But since you were not, and because when you were sleeping I repelled the ban against magic, I suppose I will just have to make you my new court sorcerer." He laughed at Merlin's facial expression.

"Warlock," Merlin said.

"What are you blithering about?" Arthur responded.

"I'm a warlock, technically, not a sorcerer. Wait what did you just say?" Merlin realized what Arthur had been saying before he got distracted by the wrong form of his name. "You are not angry at me?"

"Well I was at first, but then I thought you were dead, and I got worried. I didn't want to lose my only friend, plus Guinevere and Gaius talked a little bit of sense into me."

"Did you just call me your friend?"

"No you idiot."

"Dollup-head, I suppose we will need a new table." Merlin laughed out.

"I've got a few ideas, my friend."

Please review this is my first every one-shot, and I am kind of happy with it.


	2. Chapter 2

I am so glad that other people liked the first part of this so much! I was not going to write anymore of this, but this scene kept playing on repeat in my head. So I dedicate this to Rylee87, and TheImpossiblePen, both of which asked me for more. I have a couple of ideas about where I want this to go, so I have decided that it will be a series of interconnecting one-shots. I own nothing.

Queen Guinevere never thought that in teaching Arthur to forgive his best friend that she would learn herself. She saw Merlin take down one of the most powerful witches she had ever come up against, all to save her husband. She was going to be forever indebted to her friend. At first she was angry, why would he keep such a big secret from her, his friend? Why when she could have helped him, as he helped her.

Then Arthur ran into her chambers, looking like he hadn't had a good servant less than twenty hours ago. His blond hair hung matted about his face, and one side stood straight up with the edges charred from the massive fight. His clothes were soot stained, and he was missing a shoe, but it was his face that gave her pause. His face was drawn and haggard, his eyes looked vaguely haunted. She would have said entirely haunted, but she had seen her brother's face when he was.

"He lied to me, the entire time I have known him. I thought he was my friend." He started pacing; unintentionally mimicking a past occurrence of the very man he talked about. "I don't understand, why would Merlin intentionally seek out something that we both know causes nothing but evil?" He looked down at the floor, his concentration for the moment completely shot. "All this time, all our friendship, was that a lie as well?"

Finally Gwen could not handle it any more. She softly slapped her distraught husband on the back of the head. Her past hesitation gone as she realized a single truth, "Arthur, you have to understand that Merlin, of all people, does not have a bad bone in his body. He could not be evil if he tried. I understand that Morgana's betrayal still hurts you, but to suggest the same of Merlin borders on stupidity. If you must decide that Merlin is evil, perhaps you should talk to Gaius first. At least here what he has to say on Merlin's behalf. Is that such a bad thing?"

Arthur smiled at his wise and brave queen, knowing that the moment he decided to marry her was the best moment of his life. "Even with all the horrors that magic has caused your family you would still choose Merlin's life over anything."

"Yes, Arthur, although be honest with yourself, you would never be able to kill Merlin." Gwen laughed as she stood up from the much more comfortable bed than the ones of her childhood. "Now if you will excuse me, My Lord, I will go to oversee the clean-up of the great hall." Arthur nodded absently his mind already on other matters, such as pardoning his clot-pole of a manservant.

Gwen walked down the cold hallways of her home thinking on the man that lay ill on the bed in the physician's chambers, who could be for all she knew dying. She remembered his smile, the very thing that drew her to him the first day she saw him. She walked through the entry into the great hall, the doors having been somehow torn off during the fight. Gwen assessed the situation and walking over the most congested area started helping the injured in any way she could, hoping that her help could somehow awaken a certain magic bearing friend of hers.

In a different part of the castle Arthur knocked a Gaius's door determined to figure out exactly why Merlin had chosen magic over their friendship.

**PLEASE REVIEW, it will make me very happy, and I will update faster!**


	3. Chapter 3

sorry for the long wait, enjoy

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Gaius looked down at one of the heavy tomes that were lying on the table, trying not to worry about the unconscious boy in the adjacent room. He glanced up at the cluttered room where various remedies lay in varied stages of completion, and reached out to grab one of the many herbs that hung from the ceiling. He proceeded to grind it up with the new mortar and pestle that Merlin had gotten him as a surprise gift not long ago. He started as the door to his quarters was pushed open with a bang, and King Arthur (The once and future king, ruler of Albion, and large imposition at the current moment) strode in as if he owned the place (the fact that he did own the place was really beside the point.)

"Yes, your majesty?" Gaius raised his eyebrow (that seems to make most people very contrite and quickly get out of my way)

"Why Gaius, I don't understand. He is my friend! How could he betray me like this? I don't, I don't understand." The young king unburdened on the person that he had spent hours with as a child. Training to be a knight had left a younger Arthur often in the Physician's quarters for long stretches of time. He then looked up at Gaius, resolving not to be swayed from his mission by the raised eyebrow.

Highness you do not have all the information and I suggest that you hold off your judgment of Merlin until such time as you do. If you would just take a moment and think of all he has done for you, all he has sacrificed then you would be much less apt to this generalization. I think we both know that Merlin has never fallen into the "normal" category." Gaius turned to continue grinding his herbs (mostly to prevent the king from seeing his eyes rolling at the king's state.)

Gaius proceeded to tell the King (may I not strangle is royal neck) all that Merlin had done for him, leaving the now thoroughly chastised king in his chambers he exited into the adjacent room to check on his ward. He looked down at the boy (idiot though he may be half the time) fondly, dabbing a slightly wet cloth around his head and neck. He repositioned his boy on the bed so that he would be more comfortable, and then put the herbs into the boiling water that sat on the cabinet. The steam filled the air as Gaius made way for the nervous king.

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Next chap will deal with Arthur's thinking time. Reviews make happy writer! This is an AU set between series 4 and series 5


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